Cardiff and Vale College wins prestigious Beacon Award for its sector leading delivery of apprenticeships
Cardiff and Vale College has won a prestigious national award for the innovative and sector leading way it delivers its apprenticeship provision.
CAVC beat off competition from the rest of the UK’s Further Education (FE) institutions to win the Association of Colleges Beacon Award for Promotion and Delivery of Apprenticeships, sponsored by Pearson.
The Beacon Awards celebrate the best and most innovative practice among UK FE colleges. They reward colleges that go above and beyond in providing high quality technical and professional education. Award winners must also offer something exceptional to students and the wider community.
Cardiff and Vale College is the leading apprenticeship provider in the Capital Region, leading the Quality Skills Alliance, a unique consortium of 22 training providers working to deliver excellence in apprenticeships.
Engaging with more than 1,000 employers in the public and private sectors from small local firms to global business, the Quality Skills Alliance, led by CAVC, offers 40 work based learning career routes across all Welsh Government priority areas to nearly 2,000 apprentices each year.
Industry sectors covered include automotive, business management, administration and financial services, sport, building services, hair and beauty, and creative media among many others. Success rates are above national comparators, with 90% of Level 2 apprentices across all sectors achieving their complete apprenticeship and 86% of Level 3 apprentices achieving theirs.
This academic year also saw the region’s other largest training provider, ACT, join the CAVC family, making the Cardiff and Vale College Group the largest in Wales and in the UK’s top five with a £75m turnover and more than 30,000 learner enrolments annually.
Mike James, Principal and Chief Executive of Cardiff and Vale College, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to have won the Beacon Award for Promotion and Delivery of Apprenticeships. It is testament to the hard work and determination shown by our apprenticeships team, subcontractors and staff right across the College and I am hugely proud of their achievement.
“We believe in apprenticeships and the impact that skills can have on businesses and individuals as well as the growth of the economy, which is why we work with thousands of apprentices and businesses each year. Apprenticeships are beneficial for everyone; the apprentice gains skills while learning in the workplace, the employer gains someone who can add instant value to that business and that boosts the wider economy.
“We will continue to work with employers across all priority areas, especially those that may not have traditionally engaged with apprenticeships, to prove to them what a real difference work based learning can make.”
Stephen Grix, Interim Senior Vice President for BTEC and Apprenticeships at Pearson, said: “Pearson believes that having access to a range of high quality apprenticeships is vital to give learners great opportunities and to ensure that our country has the skills it needs to thrive. Key to high quality apprenticeships is a great partnership between educators, employers and learners.
“That is why we are proud to sponsor this award, and proud to acknowledge Cardiff and Vale College as this year’s winner. They have set an example of how to work in partnership with a range of providers to ensure that their apprentices have access to the best quality training and support.”
Dame Pat Bacon, Chair of the AoC Beacon Awards, said: “Cardiff and Vale College is an outstanding representative of the excellent work happening in colleges across the country. It’s a privilege to be part of an awards programme that recognises the energy colleges put into supporting their students, staff, employers and local communities.”
Mike Davis, Chief Assessor for the AoC Beacon Awards, said: “The high standard of submissions to the AoC Beacon Awards often makes it very hard for the judges to choose the winners. Cardiff and Vale College can be proud to receive this award for demonstrating its commitment to create the best possible experience for its students.”
The college was announced as a winner by comedian Jon Culshaw at the Association of Colleges Annual Conference and Exhibition in Birmingham.
Notes to editors
- Photo shows (l-r) CAVCA Work Based Learning Quality and Data Team Leader Maureen Bielski, CAVC Dean of Quality Improvement Michell Hiller Forster, Pearson Marketing Director for Apprenticeships Claire Riddle, CAVC Dean of Work Based Learning Andy Whitcombe, Jon Culshaw, CAVC Deputy Principal Kay Martin, CAVC Director of Information Services and IT Evan Davies
- Cardiff and Vale College is one of the top companies for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in the National Centre for Diversity’s 2016 Top 100 Index
- Cardiff and Vale College was awarded College of the Year at the 2015 and 2016 Insider Business and Education Partnership Awards
- Apply now to join CAVC in Sept 2017
- Why not follow the latest updates from Cardiff and Vale College on Facebook.com/CardiffandValeCollege or Twitter @cavc?
For more information contact:
Chris Baker
Communications Officer
Tel: 01446 725003. Mob: 07932 770938
For more information about the Beacon Awards contact:
Alice Thiagaraj
Tel: 0207 034 9977
About Pearson
Pearson is the world’s learning company, with expertise in educational courseware and assessment, and a range of teaching and learning services powered by technology.
Our mission is to help people make progress through access to better learning. We believe that learning opens up opportunities, creating fulfilling careers and better lives.
About the Association of Colleges (AoC) – www.aoc.co.uk
AoC’s membership includes 308 colleges in the UK, including general further education, sixth form, tertiary and land-based colleges. It supports, represents and promotes the interests of its member colleges, as well as the rest of the FE sector.
About the AoC Beacon Awards
The 23rd annual AoC Beacon Awards highlight the breadth and quality of education in UK further education colleges, to capture and celebrate the positive impact they have on their students, staff and communities.
The Awards are administered by the AoC Charitable Trust which was established to advance the education of members of the public over the age of 16 years.
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